Hans Reiser, creator of ReiserFS, a journaled computer file system used by Linux, was handed a prison sentence of 15-to-life Friday, putting a final capstone on a case that began as a murder mystery, and ended with Reiser leading police to a makeshift grave a short distance from where he strangled his wife.

"I wish to humbly apologize to society for my crime," Reiser said in a statement before his sentence was pronounced. "Every human life is sacred. I took the life of a human being and I'm very sorry for that."

Hans Reiser killed his wife, Nina, at about 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2006, according to the belated confession Reiser wrote as part of his deal, said prosecutor Paul Hora after the sentencing. He first punched her in the mouth, cutting his hand, then strangled her to death. He briefly stored the body in the bathroom, then moved it to his car, where it stayed for two days while he searched for a place to bury her.

Reiser vowed to try to make up to society for what he had done. He said he was putting Namesys (the company behind ReiserFS) and ReiserFS into a trust fund his children, and that he hoped to earn money while in prison to make their lives a little more comfortable, "assuming I'm able to get access to a computer and the internet."